Venetian blind cleaning machine



Feb. 17,1942. E. AfcHAMBr-:RLIN 2,273,514

VENETIAN BLIND CLEANING MACHINE Filed March 3, 1941 4 Sheets-Sheet vl y, I 1px/Mn@ ATTO/WYE( Feb. 17, 1942. E. A. CHAMBERLIN 2,273,514

VENETIAN BLIND CLEANING MACHINE Filed March 3, 1941 4 Sheets-Sheet 2 INI/LENTOR. EA RL A. CHAMBERL /N A TTR/VEK Feb. 17, 1942. E. A. CHAMBERLIN 2,273,514

V VENETIAN BLIND CLEANING MACHINE Filed MarCh 3, 1941 4 ShBetS--Sheeb 3 Feb. 17, 1942. n E. A. CHAMBERLIN 2,273,514

VENETIAN BLIND CLEANING MACHINE Filed. March 3, 1941 4 Sheets-Sheet 4 INVENTOR. i4/PL A CHA/755W //Y Patented Feb. 17, 1942 UNITED STATES PATENT oFFlcE VENETIAN BLIND CLEANING MACHINE Earl A. Chamberlin, Cedar Rapids, Iowa Application March 3, 1941, .Serial No. 381,509

`11 claims.

This invention relates to brushing, scrubbing, and general cleaning devices and has particular relation to a washing, scrubbing, cleaningv and drying device particularly suitable for Venetian blinds.

The cleaning of Venetian blinds by the hand method, now commonly used, is a long and arduous task and it is not commercially practicable for this cleaning process to be carried on in quantity production. It is one of the main objects of my invention to provide a machine for cleaning Venetian blinds quickly, thoroughly and econom-` ically. I y

A more specic object of my invention is to provide means for simultaneously and thoroughly cleaning and scrubbing both surfaces of the rails I6 are provided with cross members (not shown) at one end thereof and this end constitutes a feeding table, indicated generally at 2l.

y 'I'he other ends 0f the rails I6 constitute, along slats of Venetian blinds and for feeding the slats f y through the cleaning means automatically and scrubbing, squeegeeingand drying the slats.

Other and further features and objects of the invention will be more apparent to those skilled in the art upon a consideration of the accompanying drawings and following specications, wherein is disclosed a single exemplary embodiment of the invention, Lwith the understanding, however, that such changes may be made therein as fall within the scope of the appended claims, without departing from the spirit of the invention.

In said drawings:

Figure 1 is a view in side elevation of a Venetian blind cleaning machine constructed accord-` ing to one embodiment of my invention.

Figure 2 is a View in isometric perspective yof the casing of the device shown in Figure l.

Figure 3 is a view in isometric perspective illustrating diagrammatically the relation ofA the major parts of the device shown in Figure l.

Figure 4 is a fragmentary view in top elevation of the device shown in Figures l, 2 and 3, withv the cover removed. I

Figure 5 is a fragmentary view in end elevation of one end of the frame of the device shown in Figures 1 and 4 and illustrating in particular the means for discharging and supporting cleaned slats.

Referring now to the drawings: A cleaning device constructed according toon embodiment of my invention is mounted upon a framework orstand IIJ of angle iron or the like including corner uprights II and cross bracing members at I2, I3 and I4.

The top of the device `includes long rails I6 secured to the uprights I I and supported by means u of legs I 1 at the outer ends thereof. The long with the members 22, a framework for supporting. straps of canvas or the like 23 to act as a table or means for receiving the'slats after they have been cleaned.

In general, a device, constructed according to the embodiment of my invention here shown, includes a plurality of longitudinally-extending verticalr troughs 24 for supporting Venetian blind slats while they are being fed into the cleaning mechanism. The cleaning mechanism (Figures 3 and 4) includes a plurality of pairs of circular, oppositely-disposed brushes 26, 2l and 28 vmounted on a main brush shaft 29. The brush shaft 29 Vis received in bearings 3| which are mounted in turn on the rails I6.

The means for feeding the Venetian blind slats between the cleaning brushes includes a plurality of vertically disposed pairs of resilient feed rolls 32, 33 and 34. vThese rolls, which may be of soft rubber or the like, are provided with central shafts 36, the upper end of each of which is jour-r naled in a self-lubricating bearing block constructed of a material such as oil impregnated wood. This bearing block is supported at its ends by brackets 38 extending upwardly from the longitudinal frame rails I6. The feed roll shafts 36 are provided with similar gears 39, each one engaging with thegears of the adjacent feed roll shafts.

The first feed roll or group of rolls is rotated by means of a vertically extending shaft 4I through a gear and belt speed-reduction drive from a motor 42. The speed-reduction drive includes bevel gears 43 and 44, the last of which may be mountedv upon a cross shaft' 46. This cross shaft is driven by means of a sheave 4l, a belt 48, and a small sheave` 49 from the brush mounting shaft 29, which shaft is in turn driven by the motor through the large sheave 5I, the belt 52, and the small sheave 53 which is mounted upon the motor.

The slats to be cleaned are placed in the troughs 24 and started between the pairs of feed rollers '32, 33 or 34. The rotation of these members then feed the slats between the pairs of opposed rotating brushes 26, 2I or 28 and the brushes, wetted with the cleaning fluid which is held in a semi-circular tank 56 directly below the brushes, will thoroughly clean all grime and dust from the surfaces and edges of the slats.

The troughs 24 are mounted so as to direct the slats between the brushes and at a spaced distance above the brush mounting shaft 29. In order to prevent the brushes from working the slats down so as to slide against the brush mounting shaft 29, I have provided a transversely extending fold-down roller 51 directly above the troughs 24. This roller is mounted for free rotation between a pair of brackets 58 and 59 which are in turn supported for vertical swinging movement from the bearing mounting brackets 38.

After a slat passes between the scrub brushes, it is fed between a pair of discharge feed rolls, indicated generally at 6|. These feed rolls are substantially the same as the ones previously described. The adjacent rollers are driven by the series of meshed gears 62, one gear being mount- `ed on each shaft and one of the rolls being driven by means of the sheaves 63 and 64 and a V belt 66 from the vertical shaft 4|.

A third group of similar discharge rolls, indicated generally at 61, are also mounted for rotation in a transversely extending bearing block 68 and inter-connected by means of the spur gears 69, one of the rolls being driven by means of the sheaves 1I and 12 and the V belt 13 along with the feed rolls 6|.

This last mentioned group of rolls 61 serves, not only in helping to feed the slats, but also to discharge them from the washing and drying portion of the machine to the slat receiver members 22 and 23, described in greater detail hereinafter.

A hold-down roll 14, somewhat similar to the previously mentioned hold-down roll 51, is supported for free rotative and swinging movement between brackets 16 and 11, these brackets being attached to the bearing block mounting brackets of the second group of feed rolls.

The semi-cylindrical tub 56 for holding the wash water, and the casing for enclosing the scrubbing brushes, are indicated by dotted lines at 8| in Figure 1 and are better shown in Figure 2.

The semi-cylindrical tub 56 is provided at each side with a flanged drain pan 82 and 83 to receive water removed from the slats for conducting it back to* the tube. The upper edges of these drain racks, as well as the tub, are bent over as shown at 64, to permit the tub and the racks to hang from the upper edges ofthe longitudinal frame members I6. The tub is provided with a drain (not shown) to permit it to be readily emptied.

The casing 8| is rectangular in shape and of a size to t between the frame members I6 to provide a cover for the scrubbing brushes. Flanges 86 are provided at each end of this casing so as to be received over the anges 84 of the tub to permit the casing to be supported 'from the same frame members. The cover 81 prevents splashing.

The walls of the casing adjacent the feed rolls 32, 33, 34 and the group of feed rolls 6I opposite thereto are provided with openings indicated generally at 88 and 89. Vertically disposed guide members 9| are positioned on each side of the openings, each guide member being formed to slidably receive the enlarged edge 92a of the squeegee rubbers 92. These squeegee rubbers are mounted so that the adjoining edges of a pair touch each other and thus not only preventY the Wash water from splashing out of the casing through the openings but also remove the Wash water from the surfaces of the slats after 'they have passed between the scrub brushes and as they are leaving the washing compartment.

Although a cleaning solution may be used which will not injure the painted or enameled surface of the slats even if not thoroughly cleaned off, I prefer to provide a series of spray nozzles such as indicated generally at 96. These spray nozzles may be connected to a suitable header or pipe line 91, which header may be supported by straps 98 attached to the gear cover 99 of the last group of feed rolls. Thus the slats may be rinsed with a ne spray of clear water as they pass between the second and third groups of feed rolls'and before they are discharged from the machine. I may, however, use a cleaning compound which is non-injurious to paint surfaces and thus entirely eliminate the spray equipment. If such a sprayer is utilized in rinsing the slats, it is of course preferable that this water be discharged from the machine instead of permitting it to run down into the wash tub 56 where it would dilute the wash water. I have accordingly provided the removable baiile 99 in the drain tray 83 along with a drain |0I which may conduct the rinse water directly to a waste pipe.

The slat receiving structure, indicated at 22 and 23, comprises in general, a number of Slat receiving guides |02 positioned so as to receive the slats as they are discharged from each pair of feed rollers 61. Each slat guiding member has a cross sectional shape, as shown in Figure 5, with the top edge flanged as shown at |03 to prevent lateral movement of a slat as long as one end of the slat is held between the feed rolls. The lower edge of each guide member, however, is bent outwardly at an angle of approximately 45 degrees, as indicated at |04 to permitthe slat to drop outwardly and downwardly byv its own weight as soon as it is discharged from the last feed roll. The slat may then drop down into` the canvas receiving straps 23. It isedesirable that separate straps be provided for each slat guide member in orderl that slats of varying lengths may be run through the machine, each size in a separate trough'and a separate group of rollers of the machine.

These canvas webs or straps may be attached to the longitudinal frame members I6 by means of metal end plates |06 riveted or otherwise'secured to the ends of the straps. The slat guide members |02 are mounted by means of straps |06 above the longitudinally extending angle members |01 which are in turn supported at their ends uponcross frame members |08.

The brushes 28 (Figure 4) are circular in shape and preferably split, as indicated at I I, to provide two semi-circular segments to thus permit the brushes to be removed and replaced or repaired without removing the shaft 29 from the machine. Circular metal mounting plates I I2 are preferably xedly attached, as by welding or the like, upon the mounting shaft 29. The brush segments may be secured to these mounting plates by means of threaded rods or bolts II3 'and nuts I|4 embedded in the bristles. I may space one pair of brushes, as for instance the brushes 28, further apart than other pairs and the rolls in alignment with this pair of brushes may be of smaller diameter as the rolls at 34 so that thick slats, such as thev bottom slat, may be cleaned and dried mechanically in the same manner as the thinner slats.

I `have provided a mechanism for quickly and keiilciently cleaning Venetian lblind slatsA .and one which handles the individual slats without marring or scratching. Slats of any size, length `or shape may be handled. y

Although I have described a specific embodiment of my invention, it is apparent that modifications thereof may be made by those skilled in the art. Such modifications may be made without departing from the spirit and scope of my invention as set forth in the appended claims.

I claim as my invention:

' 1. In a Washing machine, at least one pair of substantially vertical feed rolls, means for guiding slats to be washed into the feed rolls, at least one pair of opposed, circular scrubbing brushes disposed for rotation on a horizontal shaft adjacent the discharge side of the feed rolls, a pair of discharge rolls, means for receiving slats discharged from the discharge feed rolls, and means for rotating the feed rolls and rotating the scrubbing brushes.

2. In a Washing machine for slats, feed-in rolls, means for guiding slats into the feed-in rolls, circular scrubbing brushes mounted in opposed relation on a substantially horizontal shaft adapted to receive and scrub slats therebetween after discharge from the feed-in roll, and a second set of feed rolls disposed to receive and discharge slats from between the scrubbing brushes, and pliable squeegees disposed adjacent the discharge feed rolls for removing water left on the slats after the washing process.

3. In a washing machine for slats, .a pair of scrubbing brushes, means for imparting a scrubbing motion to the brushes, feed rolls for feeding slats between the brushes, substantially U- shaped trough-like means providing horizontal and vertical guides for the slats as they are drawn into the feed rolls, means resistingdisplacement vertically of the slats from said guide means, other feed rolls for discharging slats from the machine after passing between the scrubbing brushes, and means comprising squeegees for removing water from the slats.

4. In a washing machine for slats, a framework, a plurality of feed-in rolls, substantially U- shaped trough-like guide members for receiving slats and guiding them into the rolls, a plurality of circular scrubbing brushes mounted for rotation upon a transverse shaft and arranged in pairs thereon for receiving slats therebetween after passage through the feed-inrolls, means for discharging the slats from between the brushes and means for removing wash water from the slats.

5. In a washing machine for slats, a plurality of scrubbing brushes, means for feeding slats between the scrubbing brushes, means for discharging slats vertically from the machine after passage between the scrubbing brushes, and means for supporting the forward end of a slat while being discharged by the discharge means until the rear end of the slat has passed completely through the discharge means, said supporting means comprising means for guiding and supporting a slat on onesicle and at the top thereof, inclined supporting means extending laterally and downwardly below the said guiding means, the said inclined supporting means adapted to slidably support the weight of a slat as long as the slat is held in vertical position by the discharge means and to permit said slat to slide outwardly and downwardly over the face of said inclined supporting means when the slat is released by the discharge means.

6. In a Washing machine for slats, a frame, a horizontally disposed shaft mounted thereon. a

plurality of opposed scrubbing members mounted for rotation on said shaft, means for rotating the scrubbing members, a tub disposed generally below the scrubbing members for holding wash water, a casing disposed about and enclosing the upper portion of the scrubbing members, the said casing having openings through the sides thereof for the reception and discharge of slats fed in a Vertical plane between the opposed scrubbing members, and means comprising a pair ofv squeegees for covering each hole in the sides of the casing and for removing wash water from the sides ofy a ,slot as it passes through the hole in the side of the casing.

'7. Ina washing machine for slats, a plurality of scrubbing means, mounted for rotation .about a horizontal axis, means for feeding slats into and discharging slats from said scrubbing means, said feeding and discharge means including a plurality of resilient rolls, a shaft extending axially thereof and upwardly from each roll, means for mounting the feeding rolls including means for journaling the upper ends of the said shafts in spaced relation to each other, and gears affixed to the upper ends of said shafts, said gears being meshed with the gears of the next adjacent rolls, and means for driving one roll each of the feed-in rolls and discharge rolls, one of said scrubbing means being disposed in alignment with the median line between every other of the adjacent pairs of resilient rolls whereby a relatively large number of slats may be accommodated in a minimum of space measured transversely of the machine.

8. In a Washing machine for slats, a plurality of vertically disposed feed-in rolls, a plurality of pairs of scrubbing brushes, mounted for rotation on a horizontally disposed shaft with the brushes of the pairs mounted in opposed relation, a container for wash water disposed below the brushes so as to immerse the lower portions thereof, discharge rolls for discharging slats from between the scrubbing brushes and for removing the larger part of the wash water from the slats, means for rinsing the slats, and a second set of discharge rolls for discharging the slats from the machine and for removing the rinse water, and means for driving the feed and discharge rolls at substantially the same rate of speed and the scrubbing brushes at a higher rate of speed.

9. In a washing machine for slats, a casing, a drive shaft supported transversely thereof, a pair of circular scrubbing brushes mounted for rotation thereon with the bristles thereof disposed in closely spaced and opposed relation for receiving slats therebetween and above the driving shaft, the said casing adapted to hold washing Water to a level lower than the driving shaft, whereby the lower portions of the circular scrubbing brushes are immersed, and means for feeding slats into the casing between the brushes and for discharging slats from the casing.

10. In a washing machine for slats, a casing, a drive shaft supported transversely thereof, a pair of circular scrubbing brushes mounted for rotation thereon with the bristles thereof disposed in closely spaced and opposed relation for receiving slats therebetween and above the driving shaft, the said casing adapted to hold washing water to a level lower than the driving shaft, whereby the lower portions of the circular scrubbing brushes are immersed, the said casing having vertically extending slotted openings in the sides thereof inv alignment with the median line of the pair of brushes, flexible means mounted adjacent said slots for preventing the splashing ofwash water outwardly therethrough and for removing excess wash water from a slat after it has passed through the scrubbing brushes, and means forfeeding slats into the casing between the brushes and for discharging slats from the casing.

11. In a device of the character described, a supporting frame, a shaft mounted transversely thereof, means for driving the shaft, a plurality of circular scrubbing brushes mounted in pairs l0A thereon with the bristles thereof disposed in closely spaced opposed relation, vertically disposed feeding and discharge rolls mounted on the main frame in spaced relation to the said shaft, a plurality of means for slidably supporting slats in 15 substantially vertical planes and each in alignment with a pair of feeding rolls and a pair of scrubbing brushes, and means for retaining slats Y in their guiding means comprising a Weighted roll 

